Vineyard Demarcation, Vineyard Register, Vineyard Index, Geographic Classification
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Geologische Abhandlungen von Hessen 2004, 114, 7-14 (Engl. translation 2010) ANDREAS BOOSS* Vineyard Demarcation, Vineyard Register, Vineyard Index, Geographic Classification In Hesse, vine grapes may only be planted clearing. In Hesse this right to re-establish a within defined units of land (as of 1984), the vineyard may be transferred to another parcel of so-called exactly demarcated vineyards (except land within a holding. Article 6 of the WL also where the 100 m² regulation applies, according permits the transfer of this right to another hold- to article 3 of the Wine Act (WA)). ing within a wine-growing area if “this serves to Article 7 of the Wine Law (WL) and article 3 of promote the quality of the wine or if the wine the Wine Act prohibit the planting of new vine- growing capability of the new parcel of land is at yards. The minimum requirements for obtaining least equivalent to the previous parcel” (article permission to establish a vineyard are subject 4 of the Wine Law regulatory statutes of Hesse). to stringent control. For example, the potential vineyard must be capable of producing quality An exactly demarcated vineyard can be further wine and the owner must ensure that the wine differentiated into: can be marketed. The relevant authority bases • Potential area for growing wine (PW) its decision concerning the suitability of the land • The permitted area for growing wine (= area after reviewing the findings of an expert com- presently under cultivation + area with permit mittee (Paragraph 7 WL, Paragraph 3 – 7 WA, for growing wine) Paragraph 5 of the Wine Law regulatory statutes • Area under cultivation (= young vineyard ar- of Hesse). ea+ harvested area) According to Paragraph 4, EU Regulation No. • Harvested area (HA) (= vineyard area, from 1493/1999, a previous vineyard may be re-es- second harvest onwards after planting (article tablished within 13 years of a properly recorded 2 No. 7 WL). Exemplary calculation of HA: Period wine year (WY): August 1 – July 31 (Art. x 100 hl/ha = 432.5 hl). The present yield 1, Section 4 of EU Regulation No. 1493/1999). per hectare for the wine growing regions in Planted on May 2, 2000: Hesse “Rheingau” and “Hessische Bergstrasse” First WY after planting= is 100 hl. August 1, 2000 to July 31, 2001 The total yield per hectare is defined as the Second WY after planting = maximum volume of grapes and grape products August 1, 2001 to July 31, 2002 that a holding may sell in one year from a single After this date the area counts as HA and is harvest. Surplus yields may be stored and sold in included in the calculation of the total yield low yield years. per hectare of the holding (e.g. 4.3250 ha * Dr. A. Booß (e-mail: [email protected]), Regierungspräsidium Darmstadt, Dezernat Weinbauamt Eltville, Wallufer Straße 19, D-65343 Eltville. 7 Geologische Abhandlungen von Hessen 2004, 114, 7-14 (Engl. translation 2010) Examples: 500 ha according to Article 1, such as Belgium 1. Surplus yields: and Holland, are exempt from the register. A holding produces grapes from a vineyard Article 2 specifies the basic structure of the covering 1 ha and is permitted to sell 100 Vineyard Register. According to this, the register hl/ha per year. In 1998/1999 the harvest is divided into a production and a holding file. amounted to 120 hl. The remaining 20 hl are stored. In 1999/2000 the vineyard only yields Production and holding file 80 hl. The holding may then sell the surplus The holding file lists every holding currently 20 hl from the previous harvest (80 hl + 20 managing land for growing wine. The most im- hl = 100hl). portant details recorded in the register are: 2. Low yield • Identity and location of the holding A holding produces grapes from a vineyard • The parcels of land planted with vines divided covering 1 ha and is permitted to sell 100 into management status (fallow, young vine- hl/ha per year. In 1998/1999 the harvest yard, producing vineyard, abandoned vineyard, amounted to 70 hl and 130 hl in 1999/2000. variety, age) and type of ownership (leased, The “underproduction” from 1998/1999 can- property). not be transferred – it is forfeited. The production file encompasses the process- ing and marketing of viticultural products and As of the harvest in 2000 (= WY 2000/2001) the registration instructions. In both cases the the stored volume of surplus yield has been re- information shall not be made available to third stricted to 20 % per harvest for the two wine parties (data privacy protection). growing regions in Hesse. All excess must be A period of 6 years was stipulated for complet- converted to industrial alcohol by the 15th of De- ing the register, which was met by the School cember of the following year. of Viticulture within the Agency of Viticulture In a meeting held in Dublin in 1984, the and the authorities commissioned by the federal Council of the European Union agreed to com- state for the task. Since the introduction of the pile a vineyard register. According to Article 64a Vineyard Register, the data for the entire wine- of EU Regulation No. 337/79 in the revised EU growing area of Hesse has been recorded elec- Regulation No. 775/85 (today Article 20 of EU tronically. Regulation No. 1493/1999) concerning the or- The rules for establishing the vineyard regis- ganization of the wine market, the Council of ter are specified in the Commission Regulation the European Union was obligated to issue gen- 649/87. eral regulations concerning the introduction of a Council Regulation (EEC) No 2392/86 distin- vineyard register for the Community. guishes between obligatory information and op- The council fulfilled this obligation by issuing tional information, which each member state may EU Regulation 2392/86 on July 24, 1986, which choose to provide (App. I, Commission Regulation outlines the purpose of the register to document 649/87). The state of Hesse has opted to provide the data concerning the production potential and only the obligatory data. The optional informa- development within the community. The infor- tion comprises the planted rootstock varieties, as mation contained in the register shall contribute well as the owner of the holding. However, it is to the smooth functioning of the joint market becoming increasingly apparent that other data organization for wine. The consolidation of all may be of interest to all. For example, the natural recorded information into one register is also im- conditions such as slope gradient (demarcation of portant in this context. steep vineyards) or water protection areas. For economic and technical reasons, all mem- From the start, the Office of Viticulture and ber states with a total vineyard area less than School of Viticulture in Eltville has endeavored 8 Geologische Abhandlungen von Hessen 2004, 114, 7-14 (Engl. translation 2010) to reduce the workload for the winegrowers to a matters pertaining to applications for entry in bare minimum, by collecting as much data as pos- the Vineyard Index. The board shall put forward sible from other sources. This data was presented statements concerning the economic viability in compliance with strict privacy data protection of the site or district demarcation and decide regulations to each individual holding for correc- whether such a demarcation serves to preserve tion and completion by the owners. We are grate- the specific character of said vineyards” (Para- ful to the State Surveying Agency and the subor- graph 2 of the Vineyard Index Regulations). dinate offices and all others who worked together “Where feasible, the vineyard boundaries shall to complete the vineyard register. coincide with public roads or tracks, field mar- The quick completion of a functional register gins, water channels, or community boundaries” was only made possible by the dedicated work (Rules concerning the implementation of the (including many evening sessions) carried out by Vineyard Index Regulations). The exact position the staff of the Agency of Viticulture. of the vineyard is marked on a map. Each viticul- According to the previously mentioned “Vine- tural community organizes a vineyard committee yard Register Regulation” the register must be whose task it is to provide the community with updated at regular intervals. To comply with this recommendations and advice (paragraph 4 of the regulation, the Federal State of Hesse provides Regulations). The Rules of Implementation also each holding with an extract from the register gives details on the structure of the committees. once a year for assessment. Since only the reg- Wines from a particular wine-growing re- istered areas are used for calculating the total gion, the so-called Qualitätswein b. A. or Qual- production per hectare, it is vitally important for itätsschaumwein b. A. are provided with an ad- owners to register any changes. Failure to do so ditional geographical designation. In Hesse this will also result in consequences in relation to the would be “Rheingau” or “Hessische Bergstrasse”, Wine Law. where the vineyard area is distributed among 12 The holding file is the basis for the production and 9 towns and communities respectively (De- file, merchandizing as well as all other registra- marcation rules according to the Wine Laws of tions and activities. Hesse). Another, more specific designation of origin is the district which consists of several Vineyard index collective vineyards (Grosslage). In the Rheingau, The register is also the basis for the vineyard the district is called ”Bereich Johannisberg”. In index. This comprises an “index of all vineyards the Hessische Bergstrasse there are two districts (individual sites or combination of sites) and dis- “Starkenburg” and “Umstadt”. There are 12 col- tricts (a collective of vineyards) with maps de- lective vineyards in the Rheingau and 3 in the picting the position of vineyards and districts” Bergstrasse.